


Drowning Lessons

by spookalicious



Series: Bullets [3]
Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 13:39:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17489063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookalicious/pseuds/spookalicious
Summary: Frank reaches out to Mikey. Songfic.





	Drowning Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry these updates are spaced out by literal years. life is hard

 

**Without a sound I took her down**

A few months had passed, and Gerard had not heard from Frank again. Frank had come to talk, and Gerard had pushed him away. Probably for good. The drinking had only become worse after their interaction, with Gerard toiling away in his mother’s basement.

**  
And dressed in red and blue I squeezed**

Mikey was rightfully pissed. He had tried so hard to get Frank to talk to Gerard – lord knows Gerard needed some help in that department. He had called Frank over – lying that Gerard was indeed not at their mother’s house. Frank had finally agreed, only for Gerard to yell at him and make him leave.

**  
Imaginary wedding gown**

Frank hadn’t called Mikey since. Or answered his phone.

**  
That you can't wear in front of me**

Mikey couldn’t blame him.

**A kiss goodbye**  
  


Months turned into almost a full year.

**Your twisted shell**  
  


The house landline rang. Donna answered, as the landline calls were usually for her. It startled her to hear the voice on the other end, asking for Mikey. She looked to the kitchen table, where the person in question sat, sipping at a mug of cold coffee. She waved to get his attention.

“Phone’s for you, Michael!”

**As rice grains and roses fall at your feet**  
  


Mikey raised a brow at that. Why did they call the house phone? He has a cell. Either way, he stood, and walked to his mother, taking the phone from her hand and holding it to his ear.

 

**We'll say goodbye**  
  


“Hello?”

**The hundredth time**  
  


“Hey, Mikes. It’s me.” Mikey was startled, to say the least. He hadn’t heard from Frank in almost a year.

**And then tomorrow we'll do it again**  
  


“Hey, Frank. What’s up?” he asked, waving his mother away. He mouthed, ‘it’s fine’ to her. She seemed appeased and went back about her business making dinner.

**Tomorrow we'll do it again**

There was a bit of silence on the other line for a moment, and Mikey thought maybe Frank was going to hang up when he heard some shuffling. Instead, Frank spoke up.

 

“I’m getting married.”

**I dragged her down**  
  


Mikey’s eyes went wide. What? He voiced his concern this time.

“What?”

**I put her out**  
  


“I know, I know. I’m sorry, Mikes. I wanted to talk to you. I’ve just been… Busy. I’m sorry. I can’t talk for long, actually, um… Could we maybe hang out soon?” Frank sounded really anxious.

**And back there I left her where no one could see**  
  


The younger Way brother couldn’t believe it. Frank was getting married? And it wasn’t to Gerard. Well, that took a sharp twist. It had been only a year – not even a full one.

**And lifeless, cold**  
  


“Yeah, Frank, of course. Can you text me? We can work out details. I mean, if you can’t talk long.”

**Into this well**  
  


There seemed to be a bit of shuffling again over the phone, and a quiet “stop that”, before Frank spoke again.

“I, um, actually don’t have a cell anymore. I’m calling you from my fiancé’s.”

**I stared as this moment was held for me**

Mikey didn’t know how to respond to that. “Oh. Uh—"

**A kiss goodbye**  
  


Frank piped in before Mikey could think of a proper response. “It’s not a big deal. Just needed to get off the radar. Um, I guess, if you can, just meet me at that coffee place you and I used to go to, off 7th? Tomorrow around noon okay?”

**Your twisted shell**  
  


“Sure, Frankie, that’s fine. Hey, are you okay?” Mikey asked. Frank sounded weird. Distracted, anxious.

**As rice grains and roses fall at your feet**  
  


Mikey didn’t get an answer. Frank had hung up.

**Say goodbye**  
  


He set the phone back on the hook, brows furrowed, worry spread across his face. He looked to his mother, then sighed and dumped the remains of his coffee into the sink before heading upstairs to his room.

**The hundredth time**  
  


Guess he’d see Frank tomorrow.

**And then tomorrow we'll do it again**

The following morning, Mikey left the house a bit early. He had been avoiding Gerard – in fear of telling him his ex-love-of-his-life was getting married.

**I never thought it'd be this way**  
  


Which had been exhausting, considering Gerard actually came out of the basement for dinner the previous night. A good night, and all Mikey had was depressing news. Depressing for Gerard, at least. Mikey was hoping the marriage meant Frank was happy.

**Just me and you we're here alone**  
  


He arrived at the coffee shop about an hour early, and took a spot in a booth in the back after ordering a simple iced latte. Frank didn’t show up for another forty-five minutes. In which, Mikey had ordered another two lattes.

**And if you say**  
  


Frank spotted Mikey when he came in and nodded at him. He walked up to the counter – slow, Mikey noticed – and ordered himself a coffee, black, before coming to sit across from him. He also noticed Frank had changed a few things about himself. His piercings were gone – and his hair was his natural color and a bit grown out. He even wore a long-sleeved shirt, hiding his tattoos.

**All I'm asking for is**  
  


Frank looked at Mikey nervously, almost avoiding eye contact.

**A thousand bodies piled up**  
  


This was not the Frank that Mikey remembered.

**I never thought would be enough**  
  


Frank used to be so happy and energetic – he would practically bounce into the coffee shop before. He would always have his cell on him. He used to be pretty confrontational. So, seeing him like this was… A shock, to say the least.

**To show you just what I've been thinking**

Frank bit at his lip before speaking. “You look good, Mikes. I like the new glasses.”

**And I'll keep on making more**  
  


That made Mikey feel a little better. He gave a small, awkward smile. “Thanks, Frank. I like your hair. Why’d you grow it out? I thought you loved the mohawk.”

**Just to prove that I adore**  
  


That seemed to make Frank retreat into himself a bit. “My, um, my fiancé doesn’t like it like that. So, I grew it out. To make her happy.”

**Every inch of sanity**  
  


Mikey blinked at that. “Her?”

The pronoun, as small as it seemed, threw Mikey off more than anything. Frank spent most of his high school years – and the one year of college that he attended – finding some way to tell everyone just how gay he was.

**All I'm asking for is...**  
  


Frank nodded, once. “Yeah. Her name is Ana-Maria.”

**All I'm asking for is...**

Mikey waited for Frank to say more. When no more came, he gestured with his hands, asking for more. “Is that all you know about her, or?”

**These hands, stained red**  
  


Frank’s cheeks turned pink, embarrassed. “No, um, she’s really… She’s really into music, and she helped me out a lot after, um, after Gerard. I was in a bad place, and I tried doing things that… I really shouldn’t have, if I’m being honest.” He looked down, clearly ashamed.

**From the times that I've killed you and then**  
  


The Way brother reached a hand out to Frank. “Hey, I was joking. I’m not here to question your choices. It’s not like I know what’s been going on. Don’t worry. I’m not going to judge you, Frankie.”

**We can wash down this engagement ring**  
  


That seemed to ease the tension a bit and Frank nodded again. “Thanks, Mikey. I miss you.”

**With poison and kerosene**  
  


Mikey smiled at that. “I haven’t gone anywhere, Frank. I miss you too, though.”

**We'll laugh, as we die**  
  


Frank looked around for a moment, before leaning in a bit, getting comfortable, shifting in his seat. “How, um… How’s Gerard?” he asked.

**And we'll celebrate the end of things with cheap champagne**

Yikes. He should have known that question was coming.

**Without...**  
  


Mikey sighed a bit, and took a sip of his coffee, not making eye contact with Frank while he thought of an appropriate answer.

**Without a sound**  
  


“He’s okay.”

**Without...**  
  


Frank frowned, his shoulders slumped. “He, um, is he still drinking?”

**Without a sound**  
  


Mikey didn’t answer.

**And I wish you away.**  
  


That’s all Frank needed.

**Without a sound**  
  


Mikey gave an affirmative huff when Frank leaned back away.

**And I wish you away.**  
  


“What happened, Frank?”

**Without a sound, without a sound**  
  


Frank looked at Mikey, tears in his eyes.

**And I wish you away**  
  


“What do you mean, Mikey?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

**Without a sound, without a sound**  
  


Mikey shook his head, pushing his coffee away and setting his hands on the table, reaching for Frank’s. “Frank. Be real. Look at you. What happened?”

**And I wish you away**  
  


Frank just shook his head, pulling away from the other. He scoot out of the booth seat and stood.

**Without a sound, without a sound**  
  


“Nothing happened, Mikey. I grew up.”

**And I wish you away.**

And with that, he was gone.

 

 


End file.
